Can't Do A Pushup

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Whatever you do, don't lift yourself with one foot with the other outstretched.

That's a good way to rip your meniscus to shreds.

I can't do a push up.

Your avatar is very appropriate.

hmm... i'd just get a friend to hold onto your ankles. that's how i learned to keep my feet on the ground



really? that's how we do core workouts @ XC practice! i never knew that was bad for you. maybe i should tell the coach?

ooh yeah - and with building muscles, i'd eat a good amount of protein like 30-45 minutes after your workout. something like cheese sticks are pretty good, maybe protein bars... something that's mostly protein, obviously!

ideally you'd take fast-protein/fast-carbs before a workout, slow-protein/slow-carbs immediately after. Slow protein ie egg-albumen/casein is good at bed-time, because otherwise youd hit negative nitrogen-balance overnight (your body runs out of stored protein so starts eating your muscles)

Fats & especially carbs are just as important for muscle building. they provide the energy required to get the building done. A surprising amount of a bodybuilders mass is actually stored water + glycogen.

good site for (relatively) unbiased, scientific and totally OTT obsessive hypertrophy research; http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/

I think you're getting a tad too scientific considering the subject is not being able to do one push-up

All the diet advice in the world isn't going to change that. In fact most people would get diabetes on the average body builder or athlete's diet.

Also, the advice about fast carbs pre and slow post is a bit silly. There is no evidence beyond superstition that high glycemic-index sugars are good for building muscle at all. The only evidence is that such sugars tax the liver because there is no way for the body to instantly metabolize those sugars in the blood. Eating pixie dust instead of pasta is IMO not a good idea.

Hi-GI carbs are a preferred source of energy during exercise, i think that is fairly well established. I didnt actually suggest Hi-GI carbs were preferable in the muscle-building process.

You could of course rely on the slower carbs you had in your last meal, but that isnt always convienient. Unless youve timed your meals in accordance with the session, you could burn out half through. Hi-GI carbs have their uses as a quick-fix.

Diabetes? not on any diet ive been on. The 'average person' eats artificial sugary food for fun. I only eat it at specific times, and rarely at that.

Last edited by psych on 11 Dec 2005, 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

There is no evidence supporting beneficial uses of high glycemic-index carbs. If you disagree, I would like to see a source.

A sugar-high only lasts as long as it takes for the liver to correct the body's blood-sugar level. In fact the liver can easily raise the blood-sugar level as needed, and has thousands of calories in reserve to do just this.

High blood-sugar levels cause liver cells to divide and the liver to grow until it can metabolize your crazy eating habits, turning the sugars to fat. It puts a lot of other things out of whack in the body as well, including the immune system, the ability to absorb minerals, and kidney function.

If you want some immediate energy, try some honey which is roughly half glucose half fructose. Or just eat some pasta which is almost 100% carbs.

glucose/fructose are hi-GI carbs surely?

Fructose (not to be confused with the federally subsidized high-fructose corn syrup crap) is famous for being low on the glycemic index.

For example maltose (often found in energy gels) has an index of 105, while fructose has an index of 22.

Honey is somewhere in the middle, depending on the flower it came from.

Would you agree that mixing carbohydrates with other macronutrients slows their absorption relative to the percentage of that carbohydrate source in that meal. Thus altering the effective GI of the meal overall.

Sugars make it more difficult for the body to absorb minerals if that's what you're referring to. However, if you think eating sugar with meat or fiber slows down absorption I doubt it. The reason is sugars like carbs are being absorbed before they even hit the stomach. Even saliva can digest carbs like bread and pasta.

I tend to eat simple meals, and try not to mix my starches with fruits and meats. One exception I make is mixing fish in my pasta for protein, but that's different than eating, say, meat and potatoes.

Frankly, very little of this matters unless you're pressing the limits. I'm just contesting the idea that high index sugars are ever favourable. I have yet to see any evidence supporting this, in spite of energy gels striving to give people sugar highs.

That's funny, but I can't figure out how.

aside from the nutritional debate, a sugar buzz can provide a psychological benefit - it certainly makes me feel more energetic. That can make the difference between doing a single pushup or switching on the computer/tv.

Maybe that's the problem, your feet don't have to be a single point, shoulder width apart is fine.